O.K. I've got a couple of pennies to throw in, If its O.K. for government to mandate helmet laws becuse the cost of crashes would be less, why should'nt they outlaw motorcycles all together,
Dave
Hey Dave, absolutely play along [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif].
Unfortunately the short answer is that gov't could (outlaw motorcycles entirely). Driving is a privilege (or at least a granted right) after all and can be limited or controlled based on a variety factors (age, enironmental effects, and God knows how many other ideas some hare brained legislature might come up with).
It's also certainly the case that some types of motor vehicular transportation is already banned on public highways (for being too large or too small or too slow or too noisy; just to name a few). So a governmental entity at some level could "ban" motorcycles.
Fortunately in any practical sense we don't have to worry about it except on the most limited of scales. There is an effective lobby. There is important historical precedent. And even though we're not a
starri decisis system precedent does count for a tremendous amount. We also have our culture of appreciating individual freedoms and open spaces. So just because gov't could, it ain't anything to lose any sleep over. Hell, the Europeans still get to ride so we don't have anything to worry about [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif] .